Free, Private, & (Potentially) Fast: Using Local AI (LLM) Models inside SketchUp

Free, Private, & (Potentially) Fast: Using Local AI (LLM) Models inside SketchUp

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
The recently-released 3.3 version of my SketchUp AI Explorer (Experimental) extension now allows for an interesting and potentially (depending on your hardware) useful way to work with AI in SketchUp: You can now use local LLMs on your computer via a software like LM Studio as the AI provider for this extension. This approach is 100% free and only depends on the hardware capabilities of your local computer. This means you don't have to pay for tokens and you can even choose among a fairly large number of AI LLM models (including GPT-OSS, QWEN, GEMMA, DEEPSEEK,…). And nobody will ever train their AI systems on your prompts. One word of caution, though: This is largely an experimental approach and its effectiveness is very much dependent on your hardware (especially your GPU). But if you tweak this setup to your liking, it may open up new avenues. How Does This Work? To be able to do this, you will need two things: The Ai Explorer (Experimental) extension,...
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Now You Can Have an AI ‘Copilot’ (Assistant) for Ruby Coding in SketchUp

Now You Can Have an AI ‘Copilot’ (Assistant) for Ruby Coding in SketchUp

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In this tutorial I cover one specific use case for my OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension: A coding 'copilot' (assistant) for Ruby code. This is one of several use cases for this extension and it has the potential to at least save you from a ton of web browsing. When I write SketchUp Ruby code, I frequently need to look up code snippets. With the approach presented here, I can use AI to provide such snippets for me instead. This works well with my Ruby Code Editor extension where you can then past, edit, and run that code. But it will also work with the built-in Ruby Console. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwhD5reOkoo Links OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension Ruby Code Editor extension...
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Getting Started with SketchUp: My Top 10 Tips

Getting Started with SketchUp: My Top 10 Tips

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
This post's video tutorial features a list of my standard SketchUp beginner tips and tricks. SketchUp has much more functionality (see my book to learn about the rest!) but these ten tips will get you started with SketchUp for desktop, web, or iPad and clear up some typical confusions. TIP:New to SketchUp? Give the free web app at app.sketchup.com a try. Happy SketchUpping! What are good "next steps" after these first steps? I would recommend working through Chapter 2 in my book, which features a great refresher exercise. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD4NODwJDjQ My Top 10 SketchUp Tips This list shows my key tips. Watch the video for further detail. Tip 1: Toolbars and the Large Tool Set The first thing I do in SketchUp is set up my workspace to my liking. This includes turning toolbars on and off and arranging them on your screen. Tip 2: Understanding units in SketchUp It is important to understand the unit system ("inch is default") and the various ways to enter precise values and...
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Joyful Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2024!

Joyful Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2024!

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61MgpvHfowg To my readers, viewers, friends and colleagues: I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and joyous holiday season, Merry Christmas (to those that celebrate it), and a healthy, happy, and successful New Year 2024! And just to reiterate what I said in last year's post: A little bit more peace on earth would also go a long way! As usual, I made this video "card" completely in SketchUp. Want to see how I did this? I’ll post a tutorial soon to sketchupfordesign.com and my YouTube channel. Cheers,Alex...
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Making SketchUp Objects 3D Printable

Making SketchUp Objects 3D Printable

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In this video tutorial I show my basic approach for making SketchUp objects (like the revolved vase from my last tutorial) 3D printable. In essence, the process involves checking whether a SketchUp model is considered a "solid" by the software and then fixing any issues that may prevent it from becoming a solid. Interested in more detail? This video covers only some of the basic techniques - I explain the process in much more detail in Chapter 6 of my book "Architectural Design with SketchUp." Tutorial Video https://youtu.be/UXFUrHTZ-k8 Links ThomThom's Solid Inspector - The main extension/tool for fixing solid-ness of an object. I hope you find this technique useful and create some cool items. Feel free to post those in the discussion area below....
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